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Boat launchpaddling

Turkey Bayou

Illinois

About

Turkey Bayou is a boat launch in the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District of Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, about 4 miles from the town of Gorham. The Forest Service manages the land. For comfortable weather, aim for spring or fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Carbondale show October highs around 70°F with lows near 45°F, and April is similar at about 68°F by day and 45°F at night. Midsummer highs typically reach the upper 80s. Little Grand Canyon, a hike, sits just 0.4 miles away. Climbers can head to V: Open Gates Boulder, about 4.4 miles off, and hikers can also try Clear Springs, roughly 4.6 miles away. Fountain Bluff is about 5.3 miles from the launch.

Launch Details

Managed by

Forest Service

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Location

Pomona

Illinois

Data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). View or edit on OpenStreetMap.

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Apr–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 68–77°F and lows of 45–55°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Carbondale Southern Il Ap, IL weather station, 11 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan42° high25° low
  2. Feb47° high28° low
  3. Mar57° high36° low
  4. Apr68° high45° low
  5. May77° high55° low
  6. Jun86° high64° low
  7. Jul88° high67° low
  8. Aug87° high65° low
  9. Sep81° high56° low
  10. Oct70° high45° low
  11. Nov56° high35° low
  12. Dec46° high28° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Gorham, Illinois · 4.3 mi

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Shawnee National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Turkey Bayou — Boat launch in Illinois | Roamze